On Friday, June 27, 2003, the Secretary of Commerce reappointed Don Hansen to a seat on the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC). As Vice Chairman this year, Don has been in line to become Chairman of the Council, but due to a surprise appointment in Oregon, Don will now become the Council’s Chair at the September meeting in Seattle. The current Chair, Hans Radke, was not reappointed but instead the Secretary named Frank Warrens, a Charter boat owner from Oregon, to become the new at-large member from that state.

In another positive move, the Secretary named Darrell Ticehurst, a northern California recreational angler and a member of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), to the California Obligatory seat on the Council. With the most recent appointments, the balance has clearly shifted to the sportfishing side on the Pacific Council. Darrell comes fresh from a career in Silicone Valley and should bring a businessman’s perspective to the operations of the Council, along with a voice that represents private recreational anglers.

As most of you know, the PFMC is the key agency for regulations over the commercial and recreational fishing industries on the west coast. They control the salmon, ground fish, coastal pelagics (sardines, anchovies, spanish and greenback mackerel) and highly migratory species fisheries. With Don at the helm, sportfishermen in southern California will have an experienced advocate ‘at the top’, and this will be critical as we work to recover the overfished stocks of groundfish, such as bocaccio, ling cod, canary and yellow eye and put into effect the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan of the Council. Stay tuned, as there will be much more to come!